TransPennine Express has welcomed Sophie Marks onboard as its first qualified female driver at the Liverpool Lime Street depot.

Sophie has worked for TransPennine Express since March, moving from a position of driver at West Midlands Trains and is presently undertaking the ‘route learning’ process and is set to be signed off to drive alone this November.

Sophie comes from a family of railway employees and had loved trains since her childhood being a particular fan of Thomas the Tank Engine and had always dreamed of driving trains.

In 2012 Sophie got on board with the rail industry working as a conductor for West Midlands Trains working to become a senior conductor, a role which she found rewarding especially with the aspect of working with members of the public and supporting passengers.

In 2019 Sophie applied for a driving position at Crewe and underwent a number of interviews, psychometric tests as well as a medical and when a position became available working for TransPennine Express in Liverpool, she jumped at the chance.

Sophie was asked what learning is involved in becoming a trains driver and said: ‘A lot of route learning. As a driver, you need to know every speed change, every gradient, different signal aspects and every station location on the route, even if you don’t stop there. You need to be able to drive a train doing speeds of 100mph in thick fog and still know where you are at all times.’

Sophie says that she loves several aspects of her new driving job as each day offers something different and said: ‘I also love the scenery, since joining TPE I’ve been absolutely spoilt for the views of the Pennines. When the sun is shining it’s stunning, like a Bob Ross painting. When it’s misty and the top of the hills disappear into the clouds, it’s like driving through Jurassic Park. It’s an absolutely fascinating route to drive through. Finally, I love shift work and getting to experience the TPE routes at different times of the day. I could never work in a standard 9-5 pattern again.’

When asked why more women should consider working with the rail industry Sophie replied: ‘It’s a brilliant career! You are treated as equals on the railway, whatever your gender, you get the same fair wage, a fantastic pension, and equal opportunities. Joining the railway was the best decision I’ve ever made; I hope to continue and have a successful career at TPE for many years to come.’

TransPennnine Express has been recognised for its work with local communities and its promotion of rail industry careers as a positive choice for women in its bid to be increasingly inclusive whilst improving levels of female representation amongst its workforce. 

Sophie also said: “It feels good to represent women in a male-dominated industry. I come from a family of railway employees, my mother is a booking clerk, and my father and my uncle are both train drivers for Chiltern Railways.

“I’ve always loved trains from a young age. I never saw my gender as a barrier to working with them, but I do hope to use my position to challenge perceptions and encourage more young women to consider a career within rail.”

Kathryn O’Brien, Customer Service and Operations Director at TPE said: “We are working hard to break the stereotypes of traditional roles within the rail industry, and we continue to make huge progress in developing a more diverse workforce.

“There’s still a long way to go, but we have more women in senior roles than ever before. I’m part of an executive team made up of 40 per cent women and, during the past 12 months, 35 per cent of our new employees have been women.

“Sophie is making history and we’re so thrilled to finally have female representation amongst our drivers at Liverpool Lime Street. Hopefully, she will encourage other women to follow in her footsteps.”